Crowns Review
Not all shows strike chords with all people. Case and point is Crowns by Regina Taylor, which recently closed at Portland Center Stage. This show, directed by Andrea Frye, was not appreciated by my husband, Charles, although I enjoyed it quite a bit. I did agree with many of his criticism, however.
Crowns is an adaptation of a non0-fiction book called Black Women in Church Hats by Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry. This book used interviews of black women about their church hats to make connections between African Americans and African traditions. Adaptations are tricky things, and obviously Ms. Taylor felt that to make the book into a play, she needed some sort of narrative arc.
Hence the invention of the character of Yolanda. This character is mean to be our introduction, our guide to the women in hats. Her story leads us to the deep South through the violent death of her brother in Brooklyn. She is sent to North Carolina to live with her grandmother, Mother Shaw.
Yolanda isn’t meant to fit in with the southern women and their hats, but she really doesn’t fit into the play well at all. The literary device Ms. Taylor is employing relies on an outsider to come in to a situation in the same blank manner that the audience does so that the audience learns as the character learns. Part of the problem might be that Yolanda is so hostile that the audience (or at least Charles and I) tire of her pouting.
Yes, at the end of the play we are shown that Yolanda is “saved” (in many senses) because of the time spent with her Southern counterpart, but I felt her part of the play was unnecessary. I would have been far happier with some sort of spiritual guide like Dickens's ghosts of Christmases. AS an audience member, I didn’t need Yolanda to show me that there is value in these women’s culture as she has to learn.
However, that aside, I found the show hugely enjoyable. First, I learned a lot about the connection between modern black churches, music and culture and their counterparts in Africa. Second, I thought linking the music of black American culture with the stories of the hats and the church was inspired. Both the music and the hats hearken back to Africa, as Ms. Taylor reminds us. The songs chosen were typical of American black music and were dispersed throughout the play and used to enhance scenes such as the wedding, funeral and church service.
Finally, every performance was a good one. All the actors could sing, which was important given the emphasis on music in the play. Crystal Fox, who played Yolanda, gave as good a performance as her part allowed, but there were some real stars in the show. Standouts included Pat Bowie as Mother Shaw, Thomas Jefferson Byrd as the Man and April Nixon (Jeanette) and Angela Karol Covey (Wanda).
The end of the play left me soaring with good spirits, although that was more a product of the music and hat material than the storyline. Charles slept through a good portion of the first half (something that happens regularly even at shows he is enjoying), but what he saw didn’t appeal to him. “There weren’t any car-chases,” he lamented. As I said, most shows don’t appeal to everyone.
Crowns is an adaptation of a non0-fiction book called Black Women in Church Hats by Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry. This book used interviews of black women about their church hats to make connections between African Americans and African traditions. Adaptations are tricky things, and obviously Ms. Taylor felt that to make the book into a play, she needed some sort of narrative arc.
Hence the invention of the character of Yolanda. This character is mean to be our introduction, our guide to the women in hats. Her story leads us to the deep South through the violent death of her brother in Brooklyn. She is sent to North Carolina to live with her grandmother, Mother Shaw.
Yolanda isn’t meant to fit in with the southern women and their hats, but she really doesn’t fit into the play well at all. The literary device Ms. Taylor is employing relies on an outsider to come in to a situation in the same blank manner that the audience does so that the audience learns as the character learns. Part of the problem might be that Yolanda is so hostile that the audience (or at least Charles and I) tire of her pouting.
Yes, at the end of the play we are shown that Yolanda is “saved” (in many senses) because of the time spent with her Southern counterpart, but I felt her part of the play was unnecessary. I would have been far happier with some sort of spiritual guide like Dickens's ghosts of Christmases. AS an audience member, I didn’t need Yolanda to show me that there is value in these women’s culture as she has to learn.
However, that aside, I found the show hugely enjoyable. First, I learned a lot about the connection between modern black churches, music and culture and their counterparts in Africa. Second, I thought linking the music of black American culture with the stories of the hats and the church was inspired. Both the music and the hats hearken back to Africa, as Ms. Taylor reminds us. The songs chosen were typical of American black music and were dispersed throughout the play and used to enhance scenes such as the wedding, funeral and church service.
Finally, every performance was a good one. All the actors could sing, which was important given the emphasis on music in the play. Crystal Fox, who played Yolanda, gave as good a performance as her part allowed, but there were some real stars in the show. Standouts included Pat Bowie as Mother Shaw, Thomas Jefferson Byrd as the Man and April Nixon (Jeanette) and Angela Karol Covey (Wanda).
The end of the play left me soaring with good spirits, although that was more a product of the music and hat material than the storyline. Charles slept through a good portion of the first half (something that happens regularly even at shows he is enjoying), but what he saw didn’t appeal to him. “There weren’t any car-chases,” he lamented. As I said, most shows don’t appeal to everyone.
posted by Gallus Gallus | 3:23 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home